Emergency: Police, Ambulance, Fire
Who do I call if I need the police or an ambulance?
Throughout Europe you can reach emergency services by dialing 112 in Europe, 999 in the UK (it operates similar to 911). The major difference when calling for an ambulance is that in Europe the technician on the line will be a much higher trained medical person who will determine if they can solve your medical issue over the phone. If not, they will probably send a doctor or other highly trained personnel along with an ambulance.
Dialing 112 or 999 should allow the emergency services to know your location via GPS. Also, you should be able use the SOS Emergency calling feature to reach help even if you have no international calling plan.
What does my local embassy do for me?
The local embassy can be a great resource for information on local safety, help with lost passports, help finding english speaking medical services, english speaking lawyers if arrested, evacuation information in the event of a crisis, notifying your family in the US if you have a problem, advice on how to navigate a crime perpetrated against you, etc.
TIP: If you are arrested, you may not be given a phone call. However you should specifically ask that the police contact your local embassy and let them know you are there.